Give a Little

“Could you please leave some bottled water so I could take a bath?” read the note that Katie Dahlheim found inside the ”Blessing Box” sitting alongside Folly Road. She left the missive there amidst the soap, diapers, toothbrushes, and canned goods so that it could be read by other neighbors coming to stock the miniature pantry with food and necessities free for the taking.

“Next time I visited, the shelves were filled with water bottles,” recalls Dahlheim. It was just the kind of collaboration she’d hoped for when she founded the Lowcountry Blessing Box Project last spring, after reading about pint-size donation sites popping up around the country.

Dahlheim got started by rallying friends to build four boxes for locations she’d secured downtown and in West Ashley, Wadmalaw Island, and Ravenel. Before long, she met other locals on similar missions and established the Lowcountry Blessing Box Project Facebook page to connect them all.

From individuals to summer campers, folks of all ages have joined the crusade, making boxes to place outside churches, businesses, and homes.

By fall, 20 Blessing Boxes will be scattered around the Lowcountry, and now, says Dahlheim, the best way to get involved is by helping to tend an existing pantry. “If there’s trash inside, take it out. If a fire ant hill is close by, apply ant killer,” she suggests. And of course, keep the water coming; someone near you is in need.